Shattered Skies: Rise of Renesmee
by hlinn99
Summary: Courageous Renesmee never had the chance to live in the normal world. She was born into a world ruled by the Vampires that have taken over the planet. The Vampire invaders have bred a nearly indestructible new race, the Dominus, a horrific genetic mix of human and vampire. Renesmee will do anythign to avenge the death of her parents Edward and Bella.


Walker bolted up out of bed and into the darkness of the night. It was that nightmare again, the one where he was forced to watch everything that he had spent a hundred years building destroyed by the hands of the alien demons that called themselves the Volturi; the nightmare that always managed to sneak its way back into his life just when he thought he had managed to put that ugly chapter behind him. The one that reverted him back to a shaking mess of confused emotions and what ifs. It was the nightmare that made it so easy for him to stick to his plan for revenge and revolt.

It had been over two decades since anyone had even spoken his real name out loud. Slipping into the new identity of the young Dr. Walker was easier than Carlisle thought it would ever be. A new town, a brooding young doctor trying to out run the dark painful memories that no one else could see, it all happened so simply. Still the words of that dark day echoed in the deepest part of his mind.

"Carlisle Cullen we are here to rid you of these beings you call family. You were sent here to create the perfect race, the creatures that would one day rule this planet and you have failed miserably. These beings are no more vampire than the humans. They are too riddled with emotions. For Christ sakes Carlisle! You allowed this one to marry one? What kind of a joke are you trying to make of us?"

In his mind he could still see them all standing there. They were so much more than an experiment to him. Sure, that is what they started out to be, but now after almost a century of life for most of them; their origins had been completely erased from his mind. His experiment had become his family and he had to try to convince Traves and the rest of the Volturi that they were useful.

"You are looking at this all wrong your majesty. My experimental beings all have special talents. All possess a unique gift that we will be able to harness and use when the takeover takes place." His words sounded strong even to his ears. As long as his family managed to stay silent there was a chance that this would work.

"What takeover, what is he talking about Edward?" Poor sweet Bella, she didn't have a clue what opening her pretty little mouth may have just cost her.

The look on her face was one that I will never forget. The way Edward grabbed her and held her back while he asked me the question that would change my world.

"Are you one of them Carlisle?" Edward shouted accusingly, stepping forward. "Are you one of the Vampires that came here to destroy the human race?" Such was the voice of my first son for all intents and purposes. He had been with me the longest and I was about to destroy every ounce of respect he had for me. I knew I didn't have time to think of an explanation, I also knew that it would do no good if I did.

"Yes that is exactly what I am. Now all of you need to stand down, and await your orders." They had to know that this was just me trying to figure out a way out for them, right?

"Carlisle we are bored of this." Traves turned to his guards. "Kill them all, burn the bodies and let's move on." Traves was cold and goal oriented and there was no appealing to his soft side because he had none.

"I have to see for myself what he is talking about." Before I could grab her and drag her back from the battle line, the beautiful pixie-like Alice darted for Traves. Before he knew what was going on, before he could even yell out the order to stop her, she placed her hand on his and I knew that very moment all was lost because she was seeing every sin I had ever committed in my long and lonely life.

Alice turned slowly toward me and the tears running down her face were enough to make me fall to my knees in defeat. It was over; this part of my life was now over.

"You are a monster! You stole all of us from our families, and you turned us," she screamed and wheeled toward the others, breathless. "None of us had the past that he brainwashed us with! Edward, your mother spent 30 years trying to find you. You were the last thought on her mind when she died an old lady in her bed. Jasper, he killed your family, all of them, when he took you that night. Rosalie, the men that rapped you were under his spell. This is bad, this is very, very bad." Alice never did get to finish the rest of her story before the chilling laugh that escaped Traves split the air. It was enough to make me look up and I saw him tear the head off of the whimsical Alice Cullen, a perfect little being that would never get the chance to live.

Everything that happened from that point on was a bloody blur. I watched them spring into action. I watched them try to take vengeance on the death of Alice, the heart of our small family. I watched as one by one they were torn apart limb by limb. The only thing that I didn't seem to register was the fact that Jacob had managed to run off with a crying Renesmee. What had felt like a decade passing, as I helplessly watched the deaths of those I loved, was truly only minutes at best. I was left alone again, this time a completely broken man.

"Carlisle Cullen, you ever exactly 48 hours to pack up your life here and come with us. Your punishment will be determined by the committee." With that they faded off into the dark like the blood on their hands was nothing of concern.

For 24 hours I wondered around in a daze. I would go to the committee and I would beg them to take my life too. I had become nothing more than a joke; the Doctor that couldn't manage to breed vampire and human and get something more than a brood of sympathetic human loving creatures. I was pathetic in their eyes and my own.

The knock on my door startled me out of my death preparations. "Carlisle, are you in there? I need your help now!" The voice belonged to the young werewolf Jacob Black

"Go away Jacob there is nothing left to do, they are all gone." As soon as the words left my mouth the door to my apartment was torn from its hinges and Jacob barged in and faced me.

"You listen to me you pathetic bastard. I lost the woman I loved back there because you are a lying cheating son of a bitch. I lost Bella, and the only family I had. My entire pack was demolished trying to fix the mess you made. All of them died trying to save the monsters you created and then didn't even fight for. You are going to make this right Carlisle. Are you getting this?" He was snarling. Good. Maybe I wouldn't have to go to the committee after all; maybe he would end me here.

"There is nothing to make right Jacob. They are lost, each and every one of them."

"You stupid, arrogant, fang welding freak, have you forgotten her already? I can't take care of her, I can't protect her, you are her only hope and you are going to keep her until I am strong enough to come and take her away again. Do you understand me?"

What walked through the door was the reason that I am who I am today. Perfect little Renesmee Cullen, with her mother's hair and her father's eyes was still alive and looking at me to save her. I did the only thing that I knew how to do. I took Renesmee and I ran. We disappeared forever, changing our identities completely. I became Walker, and Renesmee, Catalina. Renesmee was too young to understand what had truly happened so I did what had to be done. I wiped her memory, taking every thought of the past out of her mind. It didn't take long for me to figure out how to alter her DNA and turn her into a normal aging "human". It was what had to be done to make my plan for revenge work.

Renesmee and Carlisle are nothing but namesake reminders attached to the darkest time of my life. They are dead now. I couldn't save the heroic Bella and Edward, but I will die protecting their daughter. Sad eyed little Catalina with her mother's beauty and her father's stubbornness is the weapon of mass destruction that planet earth needs. It is my job to make sure that her parent's death was not in vain. It is her job to show the Volturi what a perfect being really is. The army has been built and the tides are about to change.

Prologue

I was only three days old when the world, as my parents knew it, became the nightmare that I live in; the only place that I have ever known as home. In my world, the humans are no longer the hunters perched comfortably at the top of the food chain. Humans are now the hunted, the prey; vulnerable and scared, just waiting to be consumed. The stories of the creatures that go bump in the night are no longer fiction. The monsters are real and they _do_ want to hurt you. I live in a world where 'the something' lurking in the shadow isn't a figment of an overactive imagination but a real nightmare waiting to attack; a world where I have to lie my way through every minute, just to stay alive.

Chapter One

It was one of the things that I had seen a hundred times before, yet I could not help but watch the beautiful creature lying in bed beside me. His perfect face, that a mere second ago was relaxed in pleasure, was now distorted in pain. I was always fascinated by the shock in their eyes, the way they looked at me when they realized what was happening to them. I almost felt his anguish as he began to burn from the inside out, I rode his pain like a wave of power enjoying every blissful second. There was something energizing about knowing that in a minute, this indestructible being would be reduced to nothing more than a little pile of dust.

However, this pile of dust had been different than the countless others that so willingly accepted their fate. This one had used his last breath to ask me why I wanted to do this to him; he told me he never asked to be born a monster. I hated when they made me remember that they too had feelings, and I hated even more that this one was right. No one gave him the choice between human and demon, and he was a mixture of both; the deadliest, most powerful breed to ever walk the planet.

Before the last rattled breath slipped out of his chiseled chest, I kissed his cheek and whispered into his ear, "I didn't ask to be born a monster either, but it's a dog eat dog world." This time, I was the more superior race...

Chapter Two

It was 2015 when the monsters invaded. There had always been rumors of UFOs and aliens, especially after the big Area 51 cover up. The people that believed in life on other planets were labeled as fanatics and paranoid by most of the population; yet, these people were the ones who were right all along.

April 3, 2015, the spaceships filled the midnight sky. By 2am, the east coast was cut off from the rest of the world. Air waves and satellites all over the planet were zapped, making any communications in or out impossible. Shore by shore, continent by continent, the entire planet was conquered in less than two hours. More than half the human race was killed within this time frame.

The Spaceships brought with them creatures that greatly resembled the supposed fictionalized vampires that graced literature throughout history, beginning with the grandfather of all monsters, Dracula himself. The aliens needed blood to live and could never walk into the sunshine; their strength was 100 times that of the fittest human, and they lived for millions and millions of years.

Later it was found out that the so called Fictionalized novels were really attempts at educating the population sent out by people that knew the truth, these writings were the only safe way to educate people of the upcoming attack, and they did just that. Though there was nothing that could be done to stop the vampires, there were people unknown in the general population that were taking these hints and tips and building a plan of retaliation that would take advantage of every weakness that these beings had.

Survival of the fittest was the law the vampires lived by. All nursing homes, retirement villages, and hospitals were destroyed first; they had no use for the elderly, sick, or newborn babies that would just slow them down. These people were weak and held no intrinsic value or use for the monsters. All the remaining humans were thrown into small designated towns to be observed and assigned to one of the three new social classes. There would no longer be an upper, middle, and a lower class economic structure; they would be replaced by the categories of food, mating, and slaves.

All too soon the remaining humans learned the real reason that Earth was chosen was for the creation of the Dominus. Human females were the closest appearance-wise to the vampires own form, bluntly meaning, the female reproduction organs were compatible; add this to the fact that the chromosomes were nearly the same, and you will understand how the process of selective breeding was possible.

This is where the new highest class of humans came to play. The mating class was comprised of only the most beautiful, smartest, tallest, strongest women. These woman were all still in their late teens or early twenties to ensure exceptional fertility. These women were allowed to live inside the vampires homes and eat the best foods, but that is where the niceties ended. Each night a different vampire would come into these women's beds and rape them in the hopes of creating the perfect being.

Out of the mating class women, who were all tested for the level of their fertility at the time of takeover, the six that proved to be the most fertile were given to the regent vampire who would sleep with all of them at least once a day till it proved that one was implanted with his seed. The first with child would be saved from a life of humility were she would be forced to sleep with countless vampires, and as her reward for giving birth to the ruler of the new race, she would become his human breeding mate and create the royal family. The other five would be handed over to the lesser vampire royalty to conceive the rest of the royal bloodlines.

Almost nine months to the date, the vampires were successful in their attempts to create a truly immortal race. A blond haired, blue eyed baby boy, appropriately named Akia, meaning first son, was born to the king. Much to the delight of the Regent, the baby was more interested in biting his human mother's breast with his tiny fang like teeth and suckling the blood that poured from the wound, than he was with her breast milk. Almost every baby that followed Akia's birth was also blessed with the perfect DNA. Any of the babies that didn't measure up to the high standards were killed immediately and never spoken of again. The perfect DNA made them impervious to any of the handicaps that threatened the other two races.

The vampires, after several power head meetings, decided that this new creature that they had created should be honored with the name Dominus, which loosely translated, means a supernatural being conceived as perfect; an all knowing ruler of the universe. The Dominus had the vampire's strength, acute senses, knowledge, and immortality. Thanks to the human attributes, the Dominus had no negative reaction to sunlight, though they needed blood to reach their peak abilities and ensure that they would stay young and strong. They could live off of food and water. Garlic, silver bullets, sunlight, or anything else that destroyed a vampire, had no effect whatsoever on the Dominus. The only three weaknesses they possessed were given to them deliberately by the vampires, so they would never be able to weaken the new superior race and pollute the Dominus bloodlines with a lesser creature. If for any reason a Dominus was to have sex with a human, they would turn to dust soon after their seed was released. The second weakness was used to keep the powers in line; any Dominus that even whispered about the plan to takeover that was in the making since the first rouge Dominus was born, would be dealt with rapidly and in front of everyone. Their deaths were harsh and painful and making everyone watch was the Vampires' way of teaching any other rogues a lesson. If, for any reason, a Dominus was injected with pure vampire blood, they would perish instantly. The third was simple, crush the windpipe, separate the connection that it provided between the brain and the body and you had one dead immortal. I guess even though they possessed higher numbers, it was these fears that made the more powerful of the two breeds worship the lesser of them.

I am still here because of a quick thinking, paranoid Hematologist that just happened to be doing lab work in the maternity ward on the night of the attack. Doctor Alex Walker was five years out of medical school; his bedside manner was great and he had this wonderful gift of being able to put people right at ease. There wasn't another doctor in the country that could match the number of lives that he saved, thanks to his knowledge of fixing blood problems. He was widely known throughout the hospital for his bright smile, his brilliant mind, and his gloomy outlook for the future of humanity. He was convinced that the end of the world was near; so convinced that he devoted every penny that he earned into building and stocking an underground, air tight, five room vault. He piled one of the rooms with enough food to feed a large army for about 20 years. Along with all the food, he also took advantage of his position at the hospital and stockpiled every medication that he could take without being noticed.

It was Dr. Walker's paranoid years of planning and investing money that saved me and the fifteen other babies in the nursery that night. Without his quick thinking, selflessness, and love for humanity, we would have suffered the same untimely deaths as everyone else in that building, including most of our parents. But then again, maybe in truth, the people asleep in the hospital beds were the lucky ones that night. They just sleep peacefully for the rest of eternity; they weren't like all the others that woke up to find the chaotic nightmare the world had become.

That is where the other babies and I come into the picture. The sixteen babies that Dr. Walker was able to save were eleven girls and five boys. He raised us all by himself in the five room vault, taking the time to nurture us and let us feel like we were a family. I remember when we were little, I asked him why he saved us and all he said was he couldn't have kids of his own and he knew that we were important and would one day save the world. Not only did he love us and give us all the fatherly advice that we needed, he single-handedly fed us, clothed us, and educated us the best that he could. Though Dr. Walker was a kind and understanding man that tried to give us the most normal loving environment that he could, there was always something in his eyes; a part that you could see behind the laughs and behind the hugs; a part that you could almost hear in every bed time story he read to us. There was no doubt that he cared for us, but he had a very strict game plan and for the most part he stuck to it.

The boys and the girls were raised entirely differently. The boys were brought up as fighters; they were filled with powerful motivation and were taught that they were unstoppable soldiers. Since our playing field was a bit different from other wars, the guys were taught how to seduce the female Dominus by luring them into their beds for an hour of ecstasy followed by an orgasm of death. Since there was no way to get their hands on a Vampire and drain their blood, which was the ultimate weapon, without the risk of detection, sex would have to do. Never once were they allowed to doubt themselves. Doubt would lead to suspicion, and suspicion would undoubtedly lead to death. Their entire childhood was spent learning and memorizing the mannerisms of both the vampires and the Dominus. Eventually, through all of their hard work and time spent trying to assimilate themselves, they became very good at passing as the Dominus, so good that by the time they reached their late teen years they were able to walk among them undetected.

The girls on the other hand, were brought up to become the perfect homemakers.

We were taught the proper way to do housework, cooking, cleaning, and of course taking care of the men. We were lead to believe, by Dr. Walker, that it was our job in the war against the monsters to take care of the men, and all of their needs. The most valuable item that we had been taught was not how to read or write; those were less important lessons that we would spend a little bit of time on. If we learned it, that was great; but if not, that was fine too. Our biggest educational experience was learning how to raise a baby in the situation that we were in. While taking care of the men was to be one of our main duties, the sole purpose we would serve the entire time we were on the planet was reproduction. We were to be nothing more than baby factories, constantly pregnant and constantly raising the next batch of soldiers or mothers; whatever the need be. Dr Walker spent a get deal of time working out the reproduction formula to ensure that each baby would have all the right genes required to make them the strongest they could be. Partners were selected for each of us, and under no circumstances was there to be any mating outside of the selected pairs.

Dr. Walker's plan was very simple. Through the use of the sixteen of us that he saved that night, he would one day have the perfect army. For now, we were only in stage one. The males would sleep with and kill as many female Dominus as they could. The fewer females there were, the less breeding the Dominus could do among themselves. The theory being, without a significant amount of female Dominus, the population of these immortal monsters would slowly but steadily decline through the generations. While they were decreasing as a species, the underground human population would build through us. Dr. Walker was convinced with every baby that was born; we were one step closer in our journey to taking back our planet.

The monsters brought with them technology that humans could never imagine. They had weapons that with one shot could turn entire towns to dust. Nothing that the humans had could even compare. It was like the vampires knew everything that we had and they had a counter weapon to not only match it, but to completely wipe it off the power grid. The humans could not compete, even the top secret government weapons were a joke when compared to even the simplest tools of warfare that the vampires brought with them. Dr. Walker saved all of the technology from the old way of life that he could. Our home was full of books and computers. The books were used to teach us the way that the planet used to be. He said that it was important that we always remembered where we came from. That way, we would know what we were fighting for. Many of the computers were programmed so that he could track the monsters; there was not a Vampire in the world that he had not been able to locate. Knowing the sleeping places of all the night walkers would someday be a key component in his plan to rise and take over.

While the Dominus were scary and unstoppable, their attachment to the beings that created them was a major weakness in Dr. Walker's eyes. When the time was right, Dr. Walker believed if he managed to take out the night world, than the sun walkers would crumble in on themselves when they were faced with their gods being destroyed, giving the humans a chance to regain control.

Dr. Walker was wise beyond his years; he devoted every second of every day to making his plan foolproof. Every time the computer software that he developed found a new sleeping place for the vampires, he would learn everything that he could about that location. There was nothing that he hadn't planned for, well almost nothing. Only one thing interrupted Dr. Walker's well thought out plan, and that one thing was me. I was not happy nor was I satisfied with the life he was forcing upon me. There was no doubt in my mind that he thought he was doing what was best for all of us, but I could not bring myself to accept that the rest of my life I would be nothing but barefoot and pregnant. I didn't understand why it was fair for him to force that life upon me. If I wanted to live like that, I could live with the rest of my species in their cages; at least then I would know why I was there. I wanted more out of existence than that. I wanted to live, I mean really live. I wanted the chance to truly make a difference. The chance to matter beyond the men I was being forced to take care of and the soon to be babies I was supposed to mother. I wanted to be a foot soldier. I wanted to risk my life everyday alongside of the boys.

I was nothing like the other girls; they were all so content with knowing that they were playing just a small part in a bigger picture for the future. The children that they birthed and raised would one day change the world. The thought was enough to get them through their day. I however, didn't have that kind of patience; I wanted to make a difference now. I wanted every single Dominus that I could lure into my bed to die, to revenge the family and the friends that I never got to meet. I wanted them, one by one, to pay for the normal life that they stole from me and the others. I wanted nothing more than to look into their eyes and laugh as they turned to dust.

After many failed attempts at converting me into the perfect lady, Dr. Walker finally gave up, and much to his disapproval, he began to train me with the guys, as a warrior. I think as much as he wanted me to realize that I couldn't do it, he was secretly just as pleased when I proved him wrong. I had no problem at all following the lessons that he was teaching the guys and the hard work he was putting them through; I kept up with the all of them. I trained with them and I learned with them. I knew everything that they did and then some. I worked hard so that I could run the front lines just like they did. As much as I knew that I hurt Dr Walker with my fits and refusal to play nicely with the rest of the girls, I was sure that my determination and dedication would eventually earn his respect.

I was Catalina; the human that had enough characteristics to truly pass for one of them. I had the same ice blue eyes, even the dark blue streaks that shot into the pupils. Eyes that nightmares were made of, eyes of the predator that stalked you in the night. All the guys were forced to have streaked stained film surgically placed over their irises; a very painful surgery that I was lucky to have missed. The guys also had to wear contacts at all times in order to match the color perfectly. Even the women were to wear contacts, even when they were asleep, just in case they were ever spotted. The Dominus eyes with their perfect DNA were way more superior than any human could even dream of; they could see in the night and for miles. We couldn't mimic that, but at least thanks to the doc, we had the technology to look the same.

My similarities with these creatures didn't end there. I had the same wavy hair and the same strong build as the females of the species. Weak, frail little sex symbols that the humans use to measure themselves against were something else that was lost in the takeover. The woman of the monster world could take care of themselves and you could tell that by looking at them; they screamed power.

Just looking at me, there would be no reason for anyone to think that I wasn't one of them, that fact in itself was a little unnerving. The only thing that I had to have added was, of course, the retractable fangs. They were not my own, but when they were drilled into my gums, the deal was sealed. I went from human to monster in no time at all. I was just as convincing as the males and then some, and most of the guys resented me for it. They had to work constantly to make sure that their mannerisms matched the monsters, and for me it was natural, something that I never even had to think about. I was literally born to play this part and there was no way I was going to let Dr. Walker or any of the others take that away from me. Of course, while the guys hated me for the ease of my life, most of the girls hated the fact that I didn't accept the role of baby factory as easily as they had. I don't know if it was because they were jealous or because they had been so brainwashed that they thought it was disgusting to play with the big boys, but they never went out of their way to befriend me; in fact, for the most part I was completely avoided. I was truly the black sheep of our little family unit. Of course, in all fairness, the males were raised to see all women as helpless, tiny little frail creatures that lived to serve their every want and need, and the girls were raised to live up to that expectation. I guess I was an enigma to all them.

Other than Dr. Walker, the only other member of our group that actually acknowledged me for the first sixteen years of my life because they wanted to, and not because they felt that they had to, was Darien. Darien was the only one I was close to. He was my best friend, the only person that I have ever trusted; he was the most important person in my life. No matter how hurt I was by being the outsider, he was the only one that was allowed to see it; the only one allowed to see the all mighty Catalina cry. Hell, he was the only one that deserved to see the real me. Darien was a pure heart with a deadly brain, he was as hell bent on revenge and just as fueled by hate as I was; we bonded on that. As we got a little older, some of the others accepted me to the point that they didn't go out of their way to avoid me, but not all of them. The twins, Jaden and Jewel, thanks to Darien, eventually joined out little group of misfits, and there it is; they are the only three people that I consider friends now, other than them, and of course Dr. Walker, I am completely alone. Sometimes, you have to give up certain things in order to make your life what you want it to be. I had to give up the family bond that Dr. Walker so promptly promised me if I would just fall in line. There comes a time when you just have to be willing to decide what is more important to you and leave behind the things that stand in your way or hold you back from being yourself.

Chapter Three

It was nearly seven when Darien's phone call woke me up, so dusk had already fallen, which meant that I was late as usual and would have to rush around like crazy to get ready. Lucky for me, I work better under pressure. Even luckier for me was the fact that Darien knew me well enough to know that I would not wake up on my own. "You Know Cat, you wouldn't be able to survive without me." I could hear the smile on his face.

"You are probably right, but on that note I would probably get to  
sleep more."

"Go get ready beautiful and I will see you tonight, and Cat try to stay out of trouble until I get to you." With that he chuckled and hung up the phone.

Tonight was the biggest Dominus social event of the year. The Midnight Masquerade was the one and only night that the low class Dominus could mingle with the ruling class. Everyone that was anyone would be there along with the nobodies that would give anything to be somebody. It was a night of desperation and imagination. Every year that I attend the event, I find myself thinking how sad it must be to be the rulers of the planet and still want to be something else. I mean they have everything, wealth, power, and the ability to abuse it all on a regular basis, and they still get to go to the dance and be normal once a year, a place where no one will judge them, where no one will fear them, and where no one will go out of their way to avoid them. Some monsters are just so selfish.

Even though it was a night of fun, the ball, like every other vampire thought up event, had rules. Everything had to be orderly, and what better way to achieve this than structuring everything. The three rules that went along with this function were pretty cut and dry and mainly for the women, not the men, to abide by. Rule number one: you didn't remove your mask or disguise until the ball ended and you were in your private room with the man who selected you. Rule number two: never under any circumstances reveal your name or your identity. And rule number three: every woman had to drink. They had to get so drunk that they could barely stand; apparently the evening is more fun that way. The last rule is the one that bothered me most. In my line of work I can't afford to be judgmentally impaired. Drinking could slow me down and make me run off with the wrong Dominus, to whom, with enough alcohol in my system, I could very well spill my every secret. I get very, very honest when there is alcohol in my blood. Every year it got harder and harder to convince Dr. Walker to let me go. The guys were not expected to drink as much; no one would think anything if they slowly sipped the night's poison. Yet, every year, I fought my way into attendance. It was the biggest event of the year, and I know it really makes no sense, but I wouldn't feel normal if I wasn't there. It isn't every day that you can pick and choose which monsters you are going to take vengeance on. I am like a kid at a candy store at this event.

After a lot of convincing and begging, Dr. Walker gave into me just like he always does. I like to think that my father would have been like him, stern, smart but also understanding, loving and unable to tell me no. Being the smart man that he is, he's always one step ahead of the crowd, he called a brief meeting to inform the guys exactly what my costume would be. So come midnight, when everyone paired up for one night of no strings attached sex, one of the guys would quickly attach themselves to me claiming me as theirs for the evening, ending our night there. To say the least, no one was jumping up and down at the thought of losing a night of hot drunk sex to protect me.

I was glad that one of our guys was coming for me, I didn't want the responsibility that the four that ventured out on their own for the night had. It was very important that the guys that did get to spend the evening riding the world of more hideous female monsters made sure that the female they chose wasn't a power head, because just like any other war, it is statistically bad to take out the leaders of the enemy because then you have a lot of angry little monsters on your hands with no one to control them. So they had to make sure they were well aware of their surroundings at all time. That sounded like a lot of unwanted responsibly that would put a damper on my night of fun. I was a hard working girl; I deserved at least one night, right?

By 8:30, I was in full costume and parked outside the Noir hotel, where this big

Event had taken place for the last seven years. After checking my makeup in the visor mirror, I slipped the scarf over my nose and mouth leaving only my eyes visible. With the bright and bold makeup covering every inch of my face that the scarf didn't, I couldn't even recognize myself, and that worried me. If my own reflection wasn't recognizable to me, how in the world was one of the guys supposed to pick me out of a room full of other strong framed, wavy haired, blue eyed women? I was able to take solace in the fact that Darien gave me his word that he would find me at midnight. He promised me that he didn't mind giving up a night of sex when he could spend the night having fun with me. I felt guilty that out of the three years I attended, two of them Darien gave up his fun to take care of me. It was quickly becoming a tradition that I was happy to be part of. It wasn't very often that me and my best friend in the entire world just got to let our guards down; for an entire night we were locked away in a room and for once we were completely safe. Since it did no good to argue with him, I kissed him on the cheek and thanked him. I was really lucky to have him and sure as hell didn't deserve him. Darien's word meant more to me then a promise from anyone else, and I knew that nothing short of a major catastrophe would prevent him from keeping his promise and the night would end with me safe and sound with him.

I had no idea what any of the men in my group were dressed in. It wasn't something that I had to worry about. Darien knew every detail of what I was wearing and that was as far as it went. I didn't even know what his mask would look like, and that fact was a little unnerving. However, it was always important that we didn't know much about the others when we were all out in the same place, especially when there was a chance of being found out. It would be horrible if one of us got caught and tortured into admitting there were more free range humans running around planning decades from now to take back the planet. Not only would that be bad, but it would be the end of all of our lives; and that would be the best case scenario.

Walking into the ballroom was like stepping into another world. Everything was so big and overdone. The hotel was transformed into something so surreal that you could easily forget where you were and be swept off into another dimension. It was a night that dreams where made of, an event where you could just forget who you were, lose classes and ranks, and just be. It was easy to get caught up in the magic of it all if you weren't careful, but then again none of these beasts had to worry about being careful.

The costumes were as unbelievable as ever. The men's were simple; they wore a suit and a mask. Oddly enough, looking around from man to man, it was clear that none of the masks were alike. That was pretty impressive in itself. There are only so many different faces in the world; well, I guess in the universe, but then I guess when cost isn't a factor in this event, you don't have to worry about how truly expensive unique can be. Even though the men could take pride in no matching masks, once you looked from the men to the woman you could tell that the game was on. There were females dressed in clothes that would make a stripper blush. Some of them left nothing to the imagination and were merely created from a few pieces of cloth strategically placed to barely cover all of the right areas. The point of the night was to be noticed; the more men that noticed you, the better chance you had at getting your claws into a royal. While all royalty was nice, there was no secret to the fact that every woman there wanted to be the starlet of the party. They wanted to be the lucky girl that ended up on the arms of the king himself. They all had dreams that he would take them for the night, and this would be long enough to win his heart forever. Well, every girl but me. I, on the other hand, had no intention to be anywhere near the king, because accidently attracting him was last thing that I needed to have happen. Drunk, locked up and deadly in a room with the ruler of the new world? No thank you! I didn't need that kind of grief on my hands; taking out the leader of the new world would be a death sentence, one that if I was lucky would be fast and painless. That being noted, you would think I would dress down a little and hide in the shadows just to make sure that there was no way that I would attract the king, but the competitive part of me couldn't let the other females show me up.

The belly dancer costume was made to fit like a glove in all the right places. My breasts looked great, my legs looked toned, the short skirt gave off the illusion that they went on forever, and the rest of me wasn't too shabby either. I knew that there were more complicated costumes in the room. Some woman started planning what they would wear to the next year's ball the minute after the ending of the current party. I had better things to do then sit around and play dress up, but this costume, though a last minute decision, just screamed "_look at me!_", which was just what I wanted.

Even though I had no intention whatsoever to be anywhere near any of the royal family, tonight I still needed all of the attention I could get from the normal monsters. This dance wasn't just a night off for me. Tonight, I would work the room, going from monster to monster, filling my little black book with strangers' phone numbers, since identities couldn't be revealed, I would have to spend the next few days tracing down the names that belonged to the digits. I would only contact the monsters that were of no social importance; in the weeks to come, the lesser of the species would waltz willingly into my bed with the promise of death. Not a glamorous job, but hey, it keeps me alive and free for now, not to mention the sex is never bad, and the cleanup is a snap; just a little dusting and the men are gone and soon forgotten. So, I guess I really can't complain, there were a lot of humans that would die for just one day of freedom.

I spent the three hours before midnight dancing, drinking, and flirting the night

away, I was a woman on a mission. I don't think there was a single male in the room that didn't try to talk to me and as each one of them whispered in my ear my ego and self-confidence grew. It was even more than a little flattering to admit there were a few women looking my way too.

When the music was loud and upbeat, and the lights were high and alive, you could just get lost in the crowd; everyone was alive, and they were just being. A change in the tempo brought with it a slow dance and dim romantic lights. During the slow dances, it was easy to see why the monsters loved this night, loved it so much that they spend the entire year planning for it and waiting for it like it was the best night of their lives. It was a night were the royals could just be plain and forget all of the responsibilities that they are forced to deal with every day. The lesser class monsters used the night to feel important; there was nothing standing in their way to stop them from feeling great. No one knew who you were; they didn't know your social standings. For the low class, this was a night to pretend and to live out fantasies, and for the royals, it was a night to just live without the pretenses of fame. It was a night that you could meet someone that for whatever reason, you would never get to meet in your normal life. For just a brief moment every now and then, whether it was the music, the lights, or the smell of desperation or sex in the air, I would forget who I was. I just belonged. For that moment, there were no monsters; there was no need to fear for my life, no bad guys were there to hurt me. There were just other beings trying desperately to cling onto the illusion of the night.

Since the men out numbered the women five to one, my job tonight was incredible easy for once, and of course, I was sure that the alcohol that was running through my system had something to do with just how much fun I was having working this event. Men were falling all over themselves trying to connect with a female. The closer that it got to midnight the more attempts to be spoken too I received. I loved it, there was something empowering about seeing all of them scurrying around trying to catch the willing eyes of someone else. I couldn't explain it but it made me feel less alone, I fed off this feeling, and tried desperately to hold onto it so I could remember it for as long as I could.

By midnight, I had drunk, danced, and flirted my way to 55 phone numbers, beating last year's record by twelve. I had the confidence to sway to the music, to stand there proud and unwavering, and let them bump and grind against my body, getting their fill of my curves, but at the same time, I had the intelligence to keep up with the ones who wanted to talk about more than just what they promised to do to me if they were the one that got me all to themselves for the night. My body was craving one of them to keep their promise so very badly, but that rational part of me knew that one by one I would go to them and I would collect. It was this mixture, of excitement and lust that was allowing me to prey on every single man close enough to hear me and see me. They were all practically lining up to talk to me. I mean, I am good and I have no problem admitting that, but I am sure as hell not worth dying for. That thought mixed with all the drinks that I had been slamming made me giggle out loud, which was more than a little alarming. Had I really drunk that much?

"May I have your attention please." the voice that startled me back to reality belonged to a female Dominus who was dressed in a French maid outfit, at least that is what I thought it was supposed to be. It was only about the size of a tissue, but the feather duster that she was carrying, which was bigger than the rest of the costume put together, complimented the black and white squares of material perfectly. Her face was covered by a beautiful butterfly mask that covered more of her face then the outfit did the rest of her. With a body as perfect as hers, I guess there was no reason to hide it. It is amazing how you can go from happy and gleeful to jealous and catty in two seconds flat. Even though I was meant to look just like her, there was something about her that screamed power. Somehow I knew that she wasn't royalty, but there was something about her that made you think: important. She carried a power that I would never have in this lifetime and I instantly hated her for it, more than anything I hoped that one of my guys got to her before someone else.

For a brief second, I wondered if they thought of themselves as the monsters. I mean, after all she was standing up there having the time of her life and it was me that was plotting her painful death, wishing for it so bad that I could almost taste it. Was I a monster too, maybe even more so than some of the rest of them? Did the beautiful woman on the stage lie in bed and cry to herself because she was a horrible beast? Would she give anything to change places with one of the humans that she fed off of on a regular basis? Somehow, I doubted it. She looked like the type that took it all for granted, even the fact that billions of innocent people died just so she could exist. That fact almost made me walk up on the stage and slap the beautiful smile right off her perfect face. I almost had myself convinced that the two seconds of joy that I'd get from doing it before she snapped my neck would be well worth it before she started to talk again.

"It is almost midnight; I need all the men on one side of the room and the women on the other. Remember men, since there are more of you then ladies, not everyone will get a date this year. Please be respectful and leave quietly. There is always next year."

As the words came out of her mouth, the dance floor opened up and parted seamlessly. It was like her voice was controlling the crowd, and her words alone had the power to move people where her mind wanted them to go. When she was satisfied that the men and the woman were where they belonged, she started to speak again.

"I think everyone knows the rules by now, but here is a quick review just to make sure. No talking until the last couple is in their room and no masks are taken off until the alarm sounds. Simple, right? Anyone that breaks these rules will be asked to leave." Making her point known, she paused for a moment. I looked around, trying to sober up a little. Darien was across the room; he would get to me; I would be ok. I told myself to soothe the little voice in my head that was telling me at any moment this could all go very wrong. "Ok on your mark, get set; go find your sex kittens men."

The room went from calm and patient to wild and chaotic in two seconds flat. Men were running like crazy after the most desirable women. The woman were standing and waiting for the men to claim their prize. Every time one of them was chosen, a little gasp of delight would slip out between her lips. Every woman other than me had her heart thumping to the thought of who was on their arms. Each and every one of them was holding her breath and hoping that it was the prince of darkness himself that would whisk her away and make her feel important for the night. There is nothing sadder than a woman that is so desperate to feel important that she needs to bed a king to matter in her own mind. I, on the other hand, was just hoping that someone would save me before a monster gobbled me up whole.

It didn't take long for Darien to find me. I felt safe and protected the minute he grasped my hand. It had to have been the alcohol, but as soon as he touched me, I felt calm. The rest of the room was buzzing all around us, but it was like we were the only two people standing there, unmoving and almost as one. There was no need for the excitement; I was where I needed to be, with who I was meant to be with. I knew that and so did he. There was a calm understanding in knowing you belonged with someone and never having to speak of it. I was at ease with Darien and I felt that everyone else was disturbing my peaceful feeling; it was really starting to piss me off. Whatever it was that I was drinking, I was going to have to see about getting some for the long lonely nights, because for the first time in my life, in one of the most dangerous places I could be, I felt happier than I ever had in my entire life.

"Hot mask" I whispered into his ear, already breaking the rules. I had done my job; getting kicked out wouldn't be the worst thing that happened to me. I had to snicker because Darien had the ability to find the dumbest looking ghost mask on the planet every year; it was his secret way of mocking the monsters. Yes, we really were that corny when we were together, and I wouldn't change it for the world.

"Ok everyone calm down. To those gentlemen who weren't able to catch a lady, better luck next year. Please make your way to the nearest exit. Now, the rest of you have to line up so the real fun can begin."

The butterfly maid was talking again; her voice was musical and indescribable. This time, when I looked up at her, she wasn't alone. She had been joined by a man wearing a phantom mask. Something about the man that was standing there with her looked familiar. Mentally, I tried to erase the image because I knew I had just seen another one of our group, which meant that my wish for her painful death had been granted. However, it also meant that I knew where one of my guys was, which could be really bad if the worst happened and I got caught.

There was something more about the one of _us_ that was on the stage. I felt that he was looking right at me and screaming for me to notice something, but somewhere between the commotion of the evening, the alcohol in my empty stomach, and the fact I was forcing myself to erase the thought all together, I couldn't put two and two together, and soon, the man on the stage was forgotten and replaced by thoughts of Darien, who was running his thumb in circles on my hand, sending little pulses throughout my body. The feeling that he was giving me was so nice, everything and everyone else seemed to melt into the background buzz. How sweet, he must have noticed that I noticed it was one of our guys up there and he was trying to make me forget. He truly was the most important person in my world. He took care of me, which was a very tiring and complicated task, and I loved him for it

Chapter Four

The room that Darien and I were led into was the penthouse suite. By the time

the elevator reached the top floor, I was really starting to wish that I hadn't drunk so much. But the human slave waitress' were told to keep the drinks flowing to ensure that events would go without a hitch and they did their jobs well; all of the women had their ambitions distinguished. The big problem was, I was drinking to keep up with the crowd and the truth of the matter is the Dominus took a lot more drinks to reach the inhibition-losing drunk. I knew how the game was played and I knew if I slowed down the drinking then the attention would turn to me. I had to play the game or be consumed by it.

When we were finally inside the room with the door shut, I collapsed onto the plush white couch that looked and felt more like a cloud than a piece of furniture. This room was bigger than my entire apartment. Off to the left, I could see into the bathroom. There was a huge heart shaped hot tub right in the middle of the floor. I had never seen anything like it. Sitting on the side of the bath were wine and chocolate covered cherries. The next room over held a bed that put any normal bed to shame. There was no way I would have been able to fit it in the tiny little place that I call home. It had four posts, a canopy, and I was almost positive that I could fit about 20 people in it comfortably. I had lived in a five room underground bunker with 16 other people most of my life so to me this was ginormous. Everything was so oversized and glamorous that I felt small, and for some reason, I loved it. Maybe it was because I felt safe and hidden in the oversized room, or maybe it was because I knew that just this one night I was with Darien and all the monsters were busy so I had nothing to worry about, but I felt at peace, in my life that wasn't a word I used often. I also knew that neither Darien nor I would be sleeping tonight; that was for sure. There was way too much stimulation to take advantage of in this room. People like us never got to see the inside of rooms like these, let alone spend the night in one. The first thing that we were going to have to do was go play in that swimming pool sized tub.

"How did we end up with such a kickin' room?" I heard myself talking to Darien in a voice that sounded way too slurred to be good. I hated myself for getting this drunk, because if I couldn't think straight in my line of work it was like committing suicide. "I am so glad you found me. I have drunk way too much tonight. This room is so much better than the ones that we have had before. I know I am going to enjoy it. We deserve this just as much as the rest of them."

I was rambling and that was never good. Feebly, I tried to remove my mask so that I could get a better look at the room and at Darien's silly mask, but before I could get it untied, his hands were on mine and stopping me from taking off my disguise. They were so warm and when they covered mine my skin buzzed again.

"My Lady, I would be more than happy to help you with this, but you are breaking the rules. That could get us in a lot of trouble. You know that right? I don't know about you, but I have no intentions of getting kicked out of here and missing the chance to spend the entire night with you." Darien replied, sounding strangely mumbled and even more cocky than usual through the mask, which could only mean that he had been drinking tonight too. That was a mistake. How easily would it have been for us to miss each other? I was going to lecture him on this, but I needed to sober up first and I didn't want to come across even more hypocritical than I already sounded.

He sat himself gracefully down beside me on the couch; the warmth from his body was so inviting that I wanted nothing more than to curl up on his chest and go to sleep. Mmm, he smelled so good. He must have been wearing something other than his normal familiar comforting cologne. I couldn't quite place it, kind of like the smell of the imitation vanilla that Dr. Walker used to let us girls use when he was teaching us how to cook, but this was more real; something more primal than imitation, something more manly than plain vanilla. I was definitely going to have to find out what he was wearing; it was yummy.

"Yep, you know me, I am just not happy unless I am causing some sort of trouble." Did I seriously just giggle? What the hell had I been drinking all night? I knew that every time I opened my mouth I was just giving Darien more fodder to use against me when I sobered up. Even the thought of the taunting that was about to come wasn't even enough to shut me up.

"I can tell by looking at you that you like to stir things up a little bit now and then. You have that fire in your eyes that tells me you aren't happy unless you are in way over your head." The warmth of his breath with each word that he said was bouncing off my neck making me want to purr. "You know I have been watching you all night, watching the way you danced and flirted your way through half the men at the party. I watched the way that they hung on everything that you said, the way that their eyes followed you around the room. They were all like lost little puppies begging for your attention; it was really quite impressive." Darien's words were no longer making sense; all they were doing were stirring places in me that he had never stirred before, I knew that I should have stopped him but I didn't want to. I was enjoying the sensations that his breath on my neck was causing lower in my body. "There is something different about you, something that I can't put my finger on but it is there. Everyone saw it. They all would have given anything to be sitting here where I am right now. In fact, I had to throw a couple elbows to get to you, but I can tell you are going to be well worth the fight."

A couple elbows, was he being for real? I had to laugh; Darien sounded so sincere and thoughtful. Maybe there had been more than whiskey and wine in the cups after all. I mean, I know there were so many drinks in my hand tonight that I lost count early on, but they were never more than half full.

"Darien what are you talking..."

Before I could finish my sentence, his mouth was on mine and instead of pushing him away like I should have, I was falling forward trustingly knowing that he would catch me and embrace me in his arms. He was breaking my number one rule and that was a big mistake. He was kissing me, and he knew damn well that I never got that intimate with anyone; ever. I would have yelled at him, if I could think straight enough to get my body to be more than a tingly mass of nerves ; hell I would have hit him because he knew better than anyone else that kissing was a boundary that no one crossed;. I was just so surprised that he was doing it that I couldn't catch my breath enough to yell. Yeah that was it, or maybe it was the fact that his lips were so hot, that I felt like they were on fire. His kisses were taking my breath away and making my body react in ways that I have never felt before. I knew in my head that I had no intention of hitting him; it felt so right that I was hoping it never stopped.

Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. I wasn't so weak and confused that I couldn't think straight. In fact, it was just the opposite; I had never felt more alive in my life. The truth of the matter was, that I wasn't pushing him away him away because I didn't want him to stop. Not only did I not want him to stop, but I was kissing him back. My lips were just as hot and as needy as his were and everywhere that his hands touched was tingling. I didn't even have to think about what I was doing; my tongue was dancing with his, exploring, feeling, and trying to drink him in just as he was doing with me. His mouth tasted so sweet, I could think of nothing that I could compare it to. I opened my mouth and let him taste me just like I had him, in between the exploring and the little bit of lip nibbling,

I allowed my tongue to dance along his teeth. That is when I felt them. Even through the alcohol haze I could tell that his fangs were real; I was sure of it. Darien's fangs would have felt more like my own, not like this. It was just enough difference that we were the only ones that could tell, but I knew I was right. Part of my brain was being rational and was screaming at me that there was something wrong, but every other part of me was telling the little voice to just shut up and pretend that I never noticed the difference because this couldn't be wrong when it felt so right. The rest of the body won. I just tried to ignore the annoying nagging portion. I was so busy threatening my rational self that I didn't even notice what was truly going on. I had never let my body take control before and it was a little frightening how I could be arguing internally with myself while my mouth was on auto pilot.

He was inside my head, going through my mind; his heart was beating with mine. I could feel him inside of my body where no other person was ever supposed to enter. He couldn't be there; no one was ever supposed to be as close as he was. He was no longer a separate being, he was me; we were two souls inhabiting one space. It was no longer my blood that was swimming through my veins, it was his; we were breathing together in perfect harmony. It was like we blended together to form the perfect being. I needed him to stop, needed to get as far away from him as I could. This was way too unreal and even more dangerous; I wasn't entirely sure who he was. It had to be Darien; it just had to be. I was letting him have all of me, more of me than anyone else has ever seen. Yet, I didn't stop him. I couldn't bring myself to push him away. I couldn't do it because I wanted him there...

There were bells ringing in the distance and for a second I thought _wow those old movies really were true..._ no, they weren't bells it was an alarm; the one that signaled the mask removal. The sound of the bell made Darien break the kiss, and for a second, I thought my heart was breaking in two. There was no feeling I had ever experienced to compare this to. It was a quick and sharp pain and I wasn't sure if I would be able to recover from it at first. I couldn't breathe, I didn't remember how to, and I thought for sure that death was coming. With a gasp of air, that burned through my lungs like a wildfire, my body taught itself to breathe again. I don't know why, but I somehow felt empty and alone, like I was not a complete person and at that moment, I hated Darien for it. He showed me something that I didn't know existed until now, I never until now had a reason to miss the feeling. He knew that I never kissed because I didn't want to feel this kind of attachment with anyone. I didn't want to know that every time I went out on a mission that there was someone worrying about me. I really didn't want to have to deal with the thought that someone could possibly ever care enough about me that they would put themselves in danger to save me; I wasn't worth it. I was just Cat.

I decided what I was going to do with my heart when I decided to be a foot soldier. I had no room for love in my life, and if I ever did fall in love with someone, I would take myself out of the situation. I was not a level headed person. I didn't make my decisions with my head, but instead with my instinct, which usually meant I jumped in head first without thinking. I didn't want someone else to have to deal with the consequences of this personality quirk because I was smart enough to know that one day it would be the quirk that finally killed me.

The way I felt when he kissed me was more dangerous to me then the job that I did every day. It scared me way more than any monster could because I knew what the monsters would do to me if they caught me. I had no idea what this meant for me and Darien. It felt like forever before the world began to make sense again. When I finally pulled myself together enough to open my eyes to yell at him and find out what the hell he was thinking or trying to prove I was hit with sudden shock. My mouth fell open and for the second time of the night I couldn't remember to breathe.

The eyes staring back at me didn't belong to Darien. After a few seconds when I realized whose they were I went completely numb and my world just shattered. I, Catalina, had never been speechless until this moment. There was nothing that I could say that would undo the damage that I had already done. If this wasn't a bad dream I was in serious trouble. The face that was sitting less than three inches away from me belonged to the one and only king Dominus, Akia.

Hi everyone my name is Heather Linn and I hope you have all enjoyed the story so far.. I would love your reviews and your feedback... if you would like to know more about me check out my facebook page . .121?ref=tn_tnmn :)


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